“It's hard to simulate the tempo they play with in practice,” Saban said. “That's one of the most difficult things the defense has to adjust to. They make a ton of big plays.”

What Price, now the Texas-El Paso coach and for a six-month stint Alabama's boss before his dismissal over an off-field scandal in 2003, taught Sumlin was the charm of the up-tempo and spread offense. The Aggies, behind electric quarterback Johnny Manziel, run it as smoothly as anyone in the country, and a month ago, Saban questioned such offensive tactics among a growing number of programs.

“There has to be some sense of fairness in terms of asking, ‘Is this what we want football to be?'” Saban said, later adding, “Guys have a much greater chance of getting hurt when they're not ready to play.”

Sumlin responded at the time, “Everybody is just playing by the rules ... it's in the rulebook.”

On Monday, Saban tried clarifying what he'd said a month earlier.

“Everybody misinterpreted what I said about no-huddle,” he said. “I don't mind playing against no-huddle. ... I just asked the question, ‘Is this what we want the game to become?' That's for you to answer.”

Saban also told the New York Times recently, “I grew up in old-fashioned execution, blocking, tackling ... not trying to make the other guy play so fast, he can't even get where he's supposed to be. But it is what it is.”

A&M offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury responded Tuesday: “We do what we do, and he does what he does, and everybody is entitled to their opinion.”

Kingsbury added that it was an honor, too, to face Saban and the Crimson Tide, dubbing Alabama “the gold standard of college football.”

The Aggies, in their first year in the Southeastern Conference, lead the league in total offense (560 yards per game), scoring offense (45 points per game) and rushing offense (251 ypg). Saban compared Manziel, whose 383 yards of total offense is more than 48 NCAA FBS teams, to former Boston College standout Doug Flutie.

“He's extremely quick and very instinctive, and has a unique ability to extend plays,” Saban said of Manziel, a former Kerrville Tivy standout.

Florida and LSU, who like Alabama sport stout, athletic defenses, are the lone teams to keep A&M in check offensively. The Crimson Tide lead the nation in scoring defense (9 ppg).

“We're disappointed we lost those two games, but there is a little bit of confidence gained from being able to handle the physical nature of this league,” Sumlin said. “We haven't played a complete football game yet. If we can do that, we'll be dangerous for anybody.”